


You Would Not Be Without Friends

by 83protonmess



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, F/M, Friendship, No Romance, No Sex, Platonic Love, poor parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 14:19:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/83protonmess/pseuds/83protonmess
Summary: Cole doesn't show up at school, and Anne and Diana are worried as to where he may have gone. SUUUUUUPER fluffy ending. just. go with it.





	You Would Not Be Without Friends

Anne had noticed that Cole wasn’t in his usual spot in school. In fact, she hadn’t seen him all day. Diana was starting to get worried too. They were his best friends and they always looked forward to seeing him at school every day. Mr. Phillips was his usual grumpy self.

“Cole Mackenzie?”, he asked as he took roll. “Cole Mackenzie, are you here?”

He didn’t get a response so he marked him absent.

“Where’s Cole?”, Diana whispered urgently. Anne replied that she had no idea. All of the girls were starting to get concerned, except for that bitch Josie Pye.

A boring day ensued. The only notable thing that happened was that Gilbert beat Anne in spelling.

Anne and Diana would have gone to look for Cole after school, but Marilla needed Anne to help out with a fancy dish she was making, and today was Diana’s weekly comportment lesson. They both went home worried and couldn’t really focus on their respective tasks. However, they managed to muddle through without too much reprimanding.

After Anne finished helping, she went outside to hang out with Matthew and Jerry in the barn. It was hot as hell inside so she needed to cool down outside.

“Hi, Matthew. Hi, Jerry”, she greeted them. Matthew responded with a grunt and went back to cleaning up the horses. Jerry was up in the loft shoveling hay and he said hello back.

“What are you doing out here?”, he said, “Don’t you have something else to do?”

“Yes, but I just finished helping Marilla with dinner, and the kitchen is steamed up like nobody's business, so I thought I’d come out here and take a breather. Have you been practicing your writing?”

“Yes, teacher”, Jerry responded deadpan and sarcastically.

Anne went out of the barn and upstairs to work on homework. She couldn’t concentrate, though. She couldn’t stop thinking about Cole.

The next day, he was still not there. Now, even Gilbert was getting a bit concerned. He offered to help Anne and Diana find him after school. Anne nearly got her knuckles rapped by old Phillips because her homework was all blotted over and wrong. She managed to get through the day, but her mind was with Cole.

Over the next week, Anne and Diana went through the motions of their life with heavy hearts and preoccupied minds. Their talented, brave friend was nowhere to be found, and they missed him more than anything. 

Then, Diana had an idea. "We should go over to his house!" she exclaimed. 

Anne agreed that that was a great idea. 

The walk to the Mackenzie farm led down a long and winding road. There was a mixture of greenery and desert-like surroundings. Spooky trees that looked like ghost hands grew all around them, just like the ones on the way to the schoolhouse. The sun was just beginning to set, and even though the girls were in awe of how it looked behind the trees and the hills, they were also scared because they knew it would be dark soon, and who knows what could get you in the dark?

Finally, they reached the Mackenzie place and knocked at the door. Cole's mother answered. 

"Hello, Mrs. Mackenzie", Diana said politely, "we're looking for Cole. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"Cole?" she asked. "If he ever returns here again, he'll work so hard he won't have time to do anything other than farm. I'll see to that, I will."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mackenzie. Sorry to have bothered you", Anne quickly said before they ran away. 

"Well, that was a flop", observed Diana, "where else could he have gone?"

They thought for a minute, but then they both remembered the last place he could have been.

"THE SHED!" They yelled into the night at the same time. 

Luckily, Anne had been resourceful enough to pack a flashlight. They used it to light their way all the way to the shed. 

As they got closer, they noticed several sculptures marking a path, an entrance to the beat-up shed. They also heard a strange sound, that sounded a bit like crying.

Anne and Diana whipped open the door of the shed and saw Cole, sitting helplessly on the floor like a fallen angel. Tears were falling from his cheeks as he sculpted, lubricating the clay. He truly looked a sad beauty at this moment.

"Anne? Diana?" he asked incredulously while sobbing. "What are you two doing back here?" 

"We were looking for you, Cole, and we're glad we found you", Anne said.

"It's best if you leave. I don't want to bring you down with my sadness."

"We're not going to leave until you tell us what's going on. Talk to us. Why are you so sad?"

The blonde boy responded, "I'm useless. Now that I've broken my wrist, I can't paint, and my sculptures are shit. Everybody at school hates me, and I'm afraid to go back home."

"Everybody at school doesn't hate you, Cole," Diana refuted his statement, "We love you."

"Mr. Phillips hates me with a passion. So does Billy Andrews."

"You can't count them! They hate everybody! You just have to look on the positive side. We're going to help you. Now come here, you need a hug."

Anne wrapped her arms fiercely around Cole's body and patted his back. He smelled the clean smell of linen and apples she always had around her. Then Diana joined in, and he smelt her French perfume. He suddenly felt warm inside.

"I love you guys too." Cole had stopped crying.

"So, will we see you in school tomorrow?" Anne asked.

"Just for you, yes. I'll stay strong."


End file.
